Name

This
Surah takes its name from its "first word "Ta
Ha."
This name, like the names of many other Surahs, is merely symbolic.

Period
of Revelation

The
period of its revelation is the same as of Surah Maryam. It is just
possible that it was sent down during the Migration to Habash or just
after it. Anyhow, it is certain that this Surah was revealed before
Hadrat Umar embraced Islam.

According
to a well known and authentic tradition when Hadrat Umar set out to
kill the Holy Prophet, he met a certain person, who said, "Before
you do anything else, you should know that your own sister and
brother-in-law have embraced Islam" Hearing this, he directly
went to the house of his sister. There he found his sister, Fatimah,
and his brother-in-law, Said bin Zaid, learning the contents of a
scroll from Khabbab bin Art. When Fatimah saw him coming she hid the
scroll at once, but Hadrat Umar had heard the recital, so he began to
interrogate them about it. Then he began to thrash his
brother-in-law, and wounded his sister, who tried to protect him. At
last both of them confessed, "We have become Muslims; you may do
whatever you like." As Hadrat Umar was moved to see blood
running down from her head, he said, "Show me the thing you were
reading." The sister asked him to promise on oath that he would
not tear it, and added, "You cannot touch it unless you have a
bath." Accordingly, Hadrat Umar took his bath and when he began
to read the scroll, which contained this Surah, he spontaneously
spoke out, "What an excellent thing!" At this Hadrat
Khabbab, who had hidden himself at the sound of his footsteps, came
out of his hiding and said, "By God, I have high expectations
that Allah will get great service from you to propagate the Message
of His Prophet, for just yesterday I heard the Holy Prophet praying
to Allah, 'My Lord, make Abul Hakam bin Hisham (Abu Jahl) or Umar bin
Khattab a supporter of Islam. So O Umar, turn to Allah, turn to
Allah." These words proved to be so persuasive that he at once
accompanied Hadrat Khabbab and went to the Holy Prophet to embrace
Islam. This happened a short time after the Migration to Habash.

Theme
and Topics of Discussion

This
Surah begins with the enunciation of the object of the Revelation of
the Qur'an to this effect:"O Muhammad, this Quran has not been
sent down to you to put you unnecessarily to some great affliction.
It does not demand from you to perform the impossible task of imbuing
the hearts of the obdurate disbelievers with Faith. It is merely an
admonition meant to guide on to the Right Path those who fear God and
want to save themselves from His punishment. This Quran is the Word
of the Master of the earth and the heavens and God-head belongs to
Him alone:These two facts are eternal whether one believes them or
not."

After
this introduction, the Surah abruptly moves on to relate the story of
Prophet Moses without any apparent relevancy and without even hinting
at its applicability to the events of the period. However, if we read
between the lines, we realize that the discourse is addressed very
relevantly to the people of Makkah. But before we explain the hidden
meaning of the discourse, we must keep in view the fact that the
Arabs in general acknowledged Moses as a Prophet of God. This was so
because they had "been influenced by the large number of the
Jews around them and by" the neighboring Christian kingdoms. Now
let us state those things which are hidden between the lines of the
story:

Allah
does not appoint a Prophet by the beat of drums or My celebrating
the occasion in a regular and formal ceremony, as if to say, "We
are appointing such and such a person as Our Prophet from today."
On the contrary, He bestows Prophethood in a confidential manner
just as He did in the case of Prophet Moses. Therefore you should
not consider it strange if Hadrat Muhammad has been appointed as a
Prophet all of a sudden and without any public proclamation.

The
fundamental principles presented by Prophet Muhammad - Tauhidand the Hereafter - are just the same
as were taught to Prophet Moses at the time of his appointment.

Prophet
Muhammad has been made the standard bearer of the Message of the
Truth among the people of the Quraish all by himself without
material provisions, just as Prophet Moses was entrusted with the
Mission to go to a tyrant king like Pharaoh and ask him to give up
his attitude of rebellion. These are the mysterious ways of Allah.
He catches hold of a way farer of Midian on his way to Egypt and
says, "Go and fight with the greatest tyrant of the time."
He did not provide him with armies and provisions for this Mission.
The only thing He did was to appoint his brother as his assistant at
his request.

You,
O People of Makkah, should note it well that Pharaoh employed the
same devices against Prophet Moses as you are employing against
Prophet Muhammad -- frivolous objections, accusations, and cruel
persecutions. You should know that Allah's Prophet came out
victorious over Pharaoh, who possessed large armies and war
equipments. Incidentally, the Muslims have been consoled and
comforted, though not in so many words, that they should not be
afraid of fighting with the Quraish against fearful odds, for the
mission which is supported by Allah comes out victorious in the end.
At the same time, the Muslims have been exhorted to follow the
excellent example of the magicians of Egypt, who remained steadfast
in their Faith, though Pharaoh threatened them with horrible
vengeance.

An
incident from the story of the Israelites has been cited to show in
what ridiculous manner the idolization of false gods and goddesses
starts and that the Prophets of God do not tolerate even the
slightest tinge of this preposterous practice. Likewise, Prophet
Muhammad is following the former Prophets in opposing shirkand idol worship today.

Thus,
the story of Moses has been used to throw light on all those matters
which were connected with the conflict between the Holy Prophet and
the Quraish. Then at the end of the story, the. Quraish have been
briefly admonished, as if to say, "The Quran has been sent down
in your tongue for your own good. If you listen to it and follow its
admonition, you will be doing so for your own good but if you reject
it, you will yourselves meet with an evil end."

After
this the story of Prophet Adam has been related, as if to tell the
Quraish, "The way you are following is the way of Satan, whereas
the right way for a man is to follow his father Adam. He was beguiled
by Satan, but when he realized his error, he plainly confessed it and
repented and again turned back to the service of Allah and won His
favor. On the other hand, if a person follows Satan and sticks to his
error obdurately in spite of admonition, he does harm to himself
alone like Satan."

In
the end, the Holy Prophet and the Muslims have been advised not to be
impatient in regard to the punishment to the disbelievers, as if to
say, "Allah has His Own scheme concerning them. He does not
seize them at once but gives them sufficient respite. Therefore you
should not grow impatient but bear the persecutions with fortitude
and go on conveying the Message."

In
this connection, great emphasis has been laid on Salatso that it may create in the believers
the virtues of patience, forbearance, contentment, resignation to the
will of God and self analysis for these are greatly needed in the
service of the Message of the Truth.

In
the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1-8]
Ta Ha. We have not sent down the Qur'an to you to put you in
distress. This is an Admonition for every such person who fears
(God).1
This has been sent down by that Being, Who has created the earth and
the high heavens. The Merciful is sitting on the throne of the
Kingdom. (of the universe)2
He is the Owner of all that which is in the heavens and the earth and
all that which is between them and under the soil. Whether you utter
your supplication in a loud voice (it makes no difference) for He
hears not only what is said in a low voice but also what is kept most
secret.3
He is Allah: there is no god but He; all the excellent names are for
Him.4

[9-10]
And has the history of Moses reached you? When he saw a fire5
he said to his family, "Wait a bit, I have seen a fire: it may
be that I bring a burning brand for you, or find guidance (to the
way) at the fire."6

[11-17]
When he reached there, a voice called out, "O Moses, I am your
Lord; take off your shoes,7
for you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.8
And I have chosen you: so listen to what is revealed. It is Who am
Allah: there is no god but Me: so worship Me and establish Salat to
remember Me.9
The Hour of Resurrection is sure to come, but it is My will to keep
the time of its coming secret so that every soul may be recompensed
according to its labors.10
Therefore let not any person who does not believe in it and has
become a slave of his lusts, turn your thoughts away from it, lest
you perish- And O Moses, what is this in your right hand?"11

[18]
Moses replied, "It is my staff: I lean upon it and I beat down
leaves with it for my flock, and I have quite a few other uses for
it."12

[19]
He said, "Cast it down, O Moses."

[20]
So he cast it down and immediately it turned into a snake, which
began to run about.

[21-24]
He said, "Catch hold of it and do not fear for We will again
restore it to its former state. Now clasp your hand under your
arm-pit: it will come out shining without any hurt (to you).13
This is the second Sign: this is because We are going to show you Our
great Signs. Now go to Pharaoh for he has become rebellious.

[25-35]
Moses said, "Lord, open my breast for me14
and make my task easy for me, and remove the impediment from my
tongue so that people may understand my speech,15
and appoint a counselor for me from my own family, and strengthen my
hands by means of Aaron, who is my brother,16
and make him my associate in my work so that we may glorify Thee and
remember Thee always. Thou hast always been watching over us."

[36-42]
He said, "Your request is granted, O Moses. We have shown favor
to you for the second time.17
Recall the time when We inspired your mother with this idea by means
of a Revelation: `Place this child in a box and put the box in the
river; the river will cast it on to the bank and My enemy and his
enemy will pick it up. I Myself made you an object of love and so
arranged things that you should be brought up under My supervision.
Recall the time when your sister was walking along; then she said:
`May I inform you of one, who will bring up this child in the best
manner?' Thus We returned you to your mother so that her .eye might
be cooled and she might not be grieved. And (also remember that) you
killed a certain person and We freed you from its evil (consequences)
and put you through various trials and you stayed with the people of
Midian for several years. Now you have come back at the right time: O
Moses, I have molded you for My Mission. You and your brother should
go (on the Mission) with My Signs. And see that you do not show any
negligence in remembering Me."

[43-44]
"Go both of you to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed all bounds.
Talk to him in a gentle manner; may be that he is convinced by
admonition or imbued with fear."18

[45-48]
The two18a
said, "Lord, we dread that he will behave unjustly towards us or
treat us cruelly." He answered, "Have no fear: I am with
you: I hear everything and see everything. Go to him and say, “We
are Messengers from your Lord, so let the Israelites go with us, and
do not oppress them. We have come to you with Signs from your lord;
and peace is for him who follows the Right Way. We have been informed
by Revelation that there is scourge for him who rejects it and turns
away.”19

[50]
Moses replied, "Our Lord is He22
Who has given a distinctive form to everything and then guided it
aright."23

[51]
Pharaoh said, "And what was the position of the generations who
have passed before?"24

[52-55]
Moses replied, "The knowledge of that is with my Lord, secure in
a writing; my Lord neither errs nor forgets."25

He26
it is Who has spread the earth as a bed for you, and made paths for
you to move about (from place to place); He sent down rain water from
above and produced different kinds of vegetation: eat of these and
graze your cattle. Surely there is many a Sign in this for those who
possess common sense.27
We have created you from this earth and We will return you into it
and then will bring you forth out of it once again.28

[56-58]
We showed all (kinds of) Our Signs29
to Pharaoh, but he went on treating them as falsehood and refused to
believe. He said, "O Moses, have you come to drive us out of our
land by the power of your sorcery?30
Well, we will also bring as strong a sorcery as yours. So settle with
us when and where should the encounter take place; then neither
should we back out of this agreement nor you. Come out in the open
field."

[59]
Moses replied, "Let the encounter take place on the Day of the
Feast, and the people assemble after the rising of the sun."31

[60]
Pharaoh then withdrew and gathered together all his devices, and came
to the encounter.32

[61]
(On the very occasion) Moses warned (his adversaries), saying,33
"O unfortunate people, do not invent falsehoods in regard to
Allah:34
otherwise He will destroy you by a scourge: for whoso invented a
falsehood, perished."

[62-64]
Hearing this, a difference of opinion arose among them concerning the
issue, and they began to hold secret consultations.35
At last some of them decided the issue, saying,36
"These two are no more than sorcerers. Their object is to drive
you out of your homeland by the power of their sorcery, and bring to
an end your ideal way of life.37
Therefore muster up all your devices and come into the field with a
united front.38
You should realize that whoso comes out victorious today, he will win
(the battle of ideology)."

[65]
The magicians39
said, "O Moses, will you cast down (your things) or shall we
cast down first?"

[66-70]
Moses replied, "No, cast down (yours).”

Suddenly
it so appeared to Moses that their cords and staffs were running
about by the power of their magic,40
and Moses' heart was filled with fear.41
We said, "Don't fear for you will come out victorious. Cast down
what is in your hand, and it will swallow up all their sham
creation;42
for they are mere tricks of a magician; and a magician can never
succeed, howsoever skilled he may be." Accordingly, at the end
of the encounter, all the magicians were cast down to prostration43
and they cried out, "We believe in the Lord of Aaron and
Moses."44

[71]
Pharaoh said, "Have you believed in him before I gave you
permission? Obviously, he is your master who has taught you sorcery.45
Well, now I will have your hands and feet cut off on alternate sides46
and crucify you on the trunks of palm-trees47
then you shall know whose punishment is more terrible and tasting
(mine or that of Moses)."48

[72-76]
The magicians replied, "By Him Who has created us, we can never
prefer you (to the Truth) after we have seen clear Signs.49
Therefore you may do your worst, for at the most you can pass
judgment concerning this worldly life. We have believed in our Lord
so that He may pardon our errors, and forgive us the sin of sorcery
which you forced us to practice. Allah is Best and Eternal." In
fact,50
for the one who comes before his Lord as a criminal, there shall be
Hell, wherein he shall neither live nor die.51
As for the one, who comes before Him as a Believer, who has done good
deeds, all such people will have the highest ranks for them. They
will dwell for ever in the evergreen Gardens beneath which canals
flow. Such is the reward of the one who adopts purity.

[77]
We52
sent this Revelation to Moses: "Set forth with My servants
during the night and make for them a dry path across the sea.53
Have no fear of being overtaken nor be afraid (while passing through
the sea)."

[78-79]
Pharaoh pursued them with his hosts but the sea overwhelmed them
completely.54
Pharaoh had misled his people and had not guided them aright.55

[80-82]
O children of Israel,56
We rescued you from your enemy and fixed a time for your attendance
on the right side of Tur,5758
and sent down manna and salva to you.59
Eat of the pure provision We have given you and do not transgress
after this; otherwise My wrath will visit you. And he who is visited
by My wrath is bound to perish except the one who repents and
believes and does righteous deeds and then follows the straight path,
for I am very forgiving for such a one.60

[83]
"And Moses,61
what has hastened you to come here before your people?"62

[84-85]
He said, “They are just coming behind me: I have hastened to
come before Thee, O my Lord, so that Thou mayst be pleased with me.”
He said, “Well, listen! We put your people to a trial after you
and the Samiri63
has misled them.”

[86]
Moses returned to his people in a state of anger and grief. Reaching
there, he said, "O my people, did not your Lord make good
promises with you?64
Had a long time passed since those promises were fulfilled?65
Or did you want Allah's wrath to come down upon you that you went
against your Covenant with me?"66

[87-89]
They answered, "We did not go against the Covenant with you of
our own accord; it so happened that we felt burdened with the
ornaments of the people and we merely threw them down.67
Then68
the Samiri also put down something like these and forged the shape of
a calf which lowed like an ox. Then the people cried out, “This
is your god and the god of Moses. Moses has forgotten it.” Did
they not see that it did not respond to their prayer nor had it any
power to hurt and benefit them?

[90-91]
Aaron had already warned the people, saying, "O people, you have
been involved in mischief by this (calf) In fact, your Lord is
Rahman, so follow me and submit to me." But they replied, "We
will go on worshiping it till Moses comes back to us."69

[92-93]
(After rebuking the people, Moses turned to Aaron) and said,"O
Aaron, what prevented you from following my way when you saw that
they were going astray? What, did you disobey my command?"70

[94]
Aaron said, “O son of my mother,do not seize me by my beard nor
pull the hair of my head.71
I was afraid that you might say on your return, “You sowed
discord among the Israelites and did not pay due heed to my words!”72

[95]
(Then Moses turned to Samiri) and said, "O Samiri, what have you
to say about the matter?"

[96]
He replied, "I saw what the people did not see: so I took a
handful of dust from the footprints of the Messenger, and sprinkled
it (on the calf), for so did my soul prompt me."73

[97]
Moses said, “Well, get away! now you shall have to say
throughout your life: “Touch me not”74
And there is an appointed time for your reckoning which is
inevitable. And just have a look at your god which you cherished so
much: now We will burn it and shatter it and cast the ashes into the
sea.”

[98]
O people, your God is Allah alone Who has no other god beside Him:
His knowledge embraces everything.

[99-112]
O Muhammad,75
thus do We relate to you the history of the past events, and We have
given you an "Admonition" from Our Own Self.76
Whoso will turn away from it, he shall bear a heavy burden of sin on
the Day of Resurrection; and all such people shall always remain
under its heavy burden, and it will be a very heavy responsibility
indeed that they shall have to bear on the Day of Resurrection.77
On that Day, when the Trumpet will be blown78
and We will muster the criminals while their eyes shall be dimmed
(with terror),79
they will whisper to one another, "You hardly stayed for ten
days on the Earth."80
We know full well81
what they will be talking; (We also know that) at that time the most
careful estimator among them will say, "No, your life on the
Earth was but for a day.”82
They ask you, "Well, where will the mountains go on that Day?"
Say to them, "My Lord will reduce them to fine dust and scatter
it away. He will turn the Earth into an empty level plain, wherein
you will neither see any curve nor crease."83
On that Day the people will come straight to the call of the
summoner; no one will dare show any haughtiness, and all the voices
will be hushed before the Merciful and you will hear nothing but a
whispering murmur.84
On that Day no intercession shall avail save his whom the Merciful
may allow to intercede and be pleased to give him a hearing.85
He is fully aware of all that is before the people and of all that is
behind them but others do not have full knowledge of it.86
The people will hang their heads with awe before the Living One, the
Eternal. Loser shall be the one who will be carrying the burden of
the sin of an iniquity, but whoso does righteous deeds and is a
Believer as well, he shall have no fear of any injustice nor shall he
be deprived of his rights.87

[113]
And, O Muhammad, thus have We sent this down as an Arabic Qur'an88
and have given therein warnings in various ways, perhaps these people
may be saved from perverseness or that this may help arouse
understanding in them.89

And
see that you do not hasten to recite the Qur'an before its revelation
is completed to you, and pray, "O my Lord, give me more of
knowledge."91

[115-120]
We92
gave a command to Adam before this,93
but he forgot it, and We did not find firmness of purpose in him:94
Recall to mind the tithe when We said to the angels: "Bow
yourselves to Adam;" they all bowed down except Iblis, who
refused. At this, We said to Adam,95
"He is an enemy to you and to your wife.96
Be on your guard lest he should have you expelled from the Garden97
and you find yourself in great distress. For here you have quite a
few facilities: you neither starve nor remain naked nor suffer from
thirst nor from sun."98
But Satan seduced him,99
saying "O Adam, should I show you the tree which gives eternal
life and everlasting kingdom?"100

[121-127]
At last, both of them (Adam and his wife) ate of the fruit (of the
forbidden tree). As a result thereof, the nakedness of each appeared
before the other, and they began to cover themselves up with leaves
from the Garden.101
Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray from the right way.102
Afterwards his Lord chose him103
and accepted his repentance and gave him Guidance, saying,104
"Get down from here both of you (Man and Satan): you will remain
enemies to each ether. After this, if you receive Guidance from Me;
whoso will follow that Guidance, he will neither go astray nor be
involved in wretchedness, and whoso will turn away from My
Admonition, he shall have a wretched life105
in the world, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of
Resurrection."106
He will say, "Lord, why have you raised me blind here, whereas I
was blessed with sight in the world ?" Allah will say, "Yes;
you forgot Our Revelations when they came to you, (as if you were
blind), so you are being forgotten today"107
This is how We recompense (in this world)108
those who transgress the bounds and do not believe in the Revelations
of their Lord. And the torment of the Hereafter is more terrible and
more lasting.

[128]
Have these people109
not received any guidance (from this lesson of history) that We have
destroyed before them many a generation in whose (ruined) habitations
they move about today? In fact, there are many Signs in this for
sagacious people.110

[129-132]
Had not a decree been fore-ordained by your Lord and a term for
respite been appointed, judgment on them would have been passed now
immediately. Therefore O Muhammad, endure what they say and glorify
your Lord with His praise before the rising of the sun and before its
setting, and glorify Him during the hours of the night and at the
extremes of the day:111
perhaps you may feel satisfied.112
And do not cast an envious look at the worldly property We have
bestowed on different kinds of people, for We have given them all
that to put them to trial, and the lawful provision113
of your Lord is better and more lasting: enjoin Salat on the members
of your family114
and yourself also observe it strictly. We do not ask any provision of
you, for it is We Ourself Who give you provision. And the ultimate
good is for piety.115

[133-135]
They say, "Why does he not bring us a Sign from his Lord?"
Has not a clear Sign come to them containing all the teachings of the
former Scriptures?116
Had We destroyed them with a scourge before its coming, these very
people would have said, "Our Lord, why did you not send a
Messenger to us so that we would have followed Your Revelations
before we were humiliated and disgraced?" O. Muhammad say to
them, "Everyone is waiting for the ultimate result;117
so you may also wait, for you will soon come to know who are
following the straight path and who are rightly guided."

1This
verse makes plain the meaning of the previous one. The object of the
Revelation of the Qur'an is riot to make the Holy Prophet do
something impossible and to put him to unnecessary distress by
demanding from him to imbue the hearts of the obdurate people with
Faith, but to admonish those people who have fear of Allah.
Therefore the Holy Prophet should not waste his efforts on those
people who have no fear of God left in them, and who do not bother
at all about what is Truth and what is falsehood.

2That
is, "After creating the universe, He is ruling over it and
conducting all the affairs of its management."

3That
'is, "You need not complain to Allah in a loud voice against
the persecution from which you and your companions are suffering and
the mischievous machinations your enemies are devising to defeat you
for Allah is fully aware of all those things, and He hears even the
complaints you cherish in your hearts."

4That
is, "He possesses all the excellent attributes and
characteristics."

5This
happened when Prophet Moses was returning to Egypt after passing
several years in exile in Midian, along with his wife whom he had
married there. According to the early part of his history, which has
been related in Surah XXVIII (Al-Qasas), an Egyptian had been killed
by Prophet Moses; so he had to leave Egypt in order to escape arrest
and had taken refuge in Midian.

6It
appears that this happened during a night of winter, when Prophet
Moses was passing through the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula.
When he saw a fire at a distance, he went towards it in the hope
that he might get some of it to keep his wife and children warm
during the night, or at least get some guidance concerning the
direction of his journey. But instead of this it was his good
fortune that he found the guidance to the Right Way.

7Probably,
it is because of this that the Jews do not say their prayers with
their shoes on. The Holy Prophet, however, removed this
misunderstanding, saying, "Act in contrast to the practice of
the Jews who do not say their prayers with their shoes or leather
socks on." (Abu Da'ud). It does not, however, mean that one
must say one's prayers with the shoes on, but it is merely to make
it lawful to say prayers with shoes on. This is confirmed by another
tradition, related by Abu Da'ud from `Amar bin `As, that he had seen
the Holy Prophet saying his prayer both with and without the shoes.

There are
other traditions also to this effect but it should also be kept in
mind that there were no carpets, mats, etc. in the mosques in those
days, not even in the Holy Prophet's Mosque. Therefore it would be
improper to go with shoes on into the mosques of today which have
carpets, mats, etc. However, one may say one's prayer on grassy
plots or open ground with shoes on.

8In
general, the commentators are of the opinion that Tuwa was the name
of the valley, but according to some it means, "The valley that
had been made sacred for the time being."

9This
is the real object of Salat. It has been prescribed to remind people
that they should not become neglectful of Allah by worldly
diversions and that they should remember that man is not an
unbridled free being but a servant of Allah. Salat has been
prescribed five times a day to remind man of Allah's presence.

Some
people are of the opinion that it means: "Establish Salat, so
that I may remember you."

Incidentally,
according to this verse, if one forgets to offer a prayer in time,
one should offer it when one recollects it. This is also supported
by a tradition related by Hadrat Anas: "If one forgets to offer
a certain prayer at the proper time, he should offer it whenever he
recollects this; for there is no other expiation for this omission."
(Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmed). There is another tradition related by Abu
Hurairah to the same effect. It was inquired from the Holy Prophet:
"What should we do if we remained asleep during the time of
prayer?" The Holy Prophet said, "There is no sin if one
remained asleep. The sin is that one should neglect one's prayer
intentionally while awake. Therefore if one forgets to offer a
prayer or remained asleep one should offer that prayer on
remembering it or on awaking." (Tirmizi, Nasa'i, Abu Da'ud).

10After
Tauhid the second thing that was revealed to all the Prophets was
the reality of the "Hereafter", and they were appointed to
impart its knowledge to their peoples. Here its object Gas also been
stated. The Hour of Resurrection is destined to come so that every
one should get the recompense in the Hereafter of what one did in
this world, and that Hour has been kept secret to fulfill the
requirement of the trial. For the one who believes in the Hereafter
will always be on his guard against any deviation from the Right
Way, and the one who does not believe in the coming of that Hour
will remain engaged in other things, for he will think that he did
not see any sign of the coming of the Hour.

11This
question was not asked for the sake of getting any information, for
Allah knew that Moses held a staff in his hand. The question was
posed with a view to impressing upon him the fact that it was a
staff so that he might be mentally prepared to see the miracle which
was going to be performed with it.

12Prophet
Moses deliberately prolonged his answer and did not stop at: "It
is my staff". This was because he naturally wanted to prolong
the dialogue to make the privilege meeting last longer.

13That
is, "Your hand will shine brightly like the sun, but it will
not cause any hurt to you. " It is strange that the Bible
interprets this miracle, saying that 'his hand was leprous as snow
but it was turned again as his other flesh'. The Talmud also
interprets the miracle in the same way and adds that this was a
miracle which was meant for Pharaoh who was suffering from leprosy.
It is a pity that the same interpretation has been adopted by our
own commentators, though the correct interpretation is the one that
has been adopted by us, and many former commentators. Obviously, it
is bad taste to attribute to a Prophet the repugnant miracle of
leprosy and that, too, before a king in his court.

14That
is, Fill my heart with the courage that may enable me to perform the
obligations connected with the great Mission of a Messenger, and
give me the confidence for its fulfillment. Prophet Moses prayed for
this because he realized the grave responsibilities of the great
Mission.

15Prophet
Moses prayed to Allah for this because he was conscious that he was
not a fluent speaker but was slow of speech. He also knew that as a
Messenger he would have to be fluent in order to impress Pharaoh and
his courtiers. This is confirmed by the Bible (Exodus 4: 10) but the
Talmud gives a strange explanation for this impediment in his
speech. According to it, when he was a child he burnt his tongue
with a live coal to escape punishment from Pharaoh whose crown he
had taken off from his head and put it on his own head. The same
story has been adopted by many of our commentators though it is
absurd on the face of it. Our interpretation is also confirmed by
the Qur'an. The tact is, that at first he was not a fluent speaker
and Pharaoh had also taunted him on this impediment (XLIII: 52).
Prophet Moses realized the same for he said, "My brother Aaron
is more fluent than I, so send him with me as a helper, so that he
may support me (with his fluent speech)." (XXVIII: 34).
Afterwards this impediment in his speech was removed and he was able
to deliver very fluent speeches. This tray be testified by his
speeches which have been cited both in the Bible and in the Qur'an
for they are masterpieces of eloquence and rhetoric.

Above
all, it does not stand to reason that Allah should appoint a lisper
or a stammerer or a stutterer as His Messenger. That is why the
Messengers have always been the best of mankind in regard to their
appearance, personality and capabilities for they had to be most
impressive both in their appearance and conduct, so that they could
not be made the target of ridicule and contempt by the people
because of such personal defects as stammering or stuttering.

17Allah
recounts the favors He had shown to Prophet Moses since his birth in
order to impress on him the fact that he had been brought up under
Divine care right from his birth for the purpose of appointing him
as a Messenger. Here mere references have been made but in Surah
XXVIII (Al-Qasas) details of the favors have been given.

18The
only two ways of bringing a man to the Right Way are: ( 1 ) To
convince him by argument and admonition, or (2) to warn him of the
consequences of deviation.

18aIt
appears that they implored Allah thus before going before Pharaoh
when Prophet Moses had reached Egypt and Aaron had joined him in the
propagation of the Mission.

19A
comparative study of this incident as given in the Bible and the
Talmud will show that the Qur'an does not copy the stories from
these books, but gives its own version in order to portray the
Messengers in their true glory and dignity. According to the Bible,
when God said to Moses that He would send him to Pharaoh, Moses
replied, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I
should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
(Exodus 3: 11). God persuaded and encouraged Moses by giving him
Signs but he was still reluctant and said, "O my Lord, send, I
pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send." (Exodus 4:
13). And the Talmud goes even further than this and says that there
was an argument between God and Moses for seven days that he should
become a Prophet but Moses did not accept the offer. At this God was
angry with him and so made his brother Aaron a partner in his
Prophethood. Moreover, He deprived the descendants of Moses of the
office of priesthood and bestowed it on the descendants of Aaron.
These two versions depict Allah to be suffering from human
weaknesses and Prophet Moses from inferiority complex.

20Here
the details have been omitted. These have been given in VII:
103-108, XXVI: 10-33, XXVIII: 28-40, LXXIX: 15-25.

As
regards the necessary information about Pharaoh, see E.N. 85 of
Chapter VII.

21Pharaoh
addressed Prophet Moses because he was, in regard to Prophethood,
the senior of the two. It is also possible that he deliberately
addressed him in order to exploit his impediment in speech, and
ignored Prophet Aaron, who was more fluent.

As
regards the implication of this question of Pharaoh, he meant to
say, "YOU say that you have brought a Message from my Lord to
me. Who is that Lord? You should know that I am the Lord of Egypt
and the people of Egypt" . In regard to this claim of his, see
LXXIX: 24, XLIII: 51, XXVIII: 38 and XXVI: 29.

It may
also be noted that by this claim Pharaoh did not mean to say that he
was the sole deity of his people nor did it mean that none other was
worshiped in Egypt. As a matter of fact, he himself based his right
of sovereignty on his claim of being the incarnation of the sun god.
And we also learn from the history of Egypt that there were many
other gods and goddesses. In fact, what he claimed was that he was
politically the Lord of not only Egypt but also of the whole of
mankind theoretically. Therefore, he would not acknowledge that
there was any supreme sovereign over him whose delegate might bring
an order to him and demand its obedience from him.

22That
is, "We acknowledge Him alone as our Lord in every sense: He is
our Sustainer, our Maker, our Master, our Sovereign and is Supreme
in everything, and there is no other lord in any sense but He."

23This
concise sentence needs serious attention. It means that it is Allah
alone Who has created everything and given it its distinctive
structure, form, capabilities, characteristics, etc.

(1) For
instance, man has been given the hands and feet which are given the
most appropriate structure that was needed for their right
functioning.

(2) A
human being, an animal, a plant, mineral and the like, air, water
and light-everything has been given that particular form which was
needed for its right functioning in the universe.

(3) Then
He has guided everything aright to function properly. It is He Who
has taught everything the way to fulfil that object for which it has
been created. He has taught the ear to hear and the eye to see; the
fish to swim and the swallow to fly; the earth to grow vegetation
and the tree to blossom and bear fruit. In short, He is not only the
Creator of everything but also its Guide and Teacher.

Prophet
Moses employed this concise and meaningful sentence to convey the
Message to Pharaoh and his people. He not only gave a suitable reply
to Pharaoh as to who his Lord was, but also told him why He was his
Lord, and how there was no other lord than He. The argument implied
in it was this: As Pharaoh and every one of his subjects was obliged
to Allah for his human form and could trot live even for a moment
without the functioning of the different parts of his body which
were performing their functions in accordance with the guidance of
Allah, so Pharaoh's claim that he was the lord of the people was
absurd, and its acknowledgment by his people that he was their Lord,
a folly.

Besides
this, Prophet Moses also hinted at the need of Prophethood which was
denied by Pharaoh. When Allah guides everything in the universe, He
has also to fulfill the need of the guidance of mankind. Whereas the
guidance of. the animals and birds has been provided by instinct,
the guidance of rational human beings has been provided by sending
Messengers who appealed to them by rational arguments.

24The
question posed by Pharaoh was very subtle. He meant to say, "If
there is no other lord than the One Who has given a distinctive form
to everyone, then what will be the position of our forefathers who
had been worshiping other deities since centuries? Were all those
people in error? Did all of them deserve torment'? Did they all lack
common sense?" Thus Pharaoh perhaps wanted to give vent to his
anger against Prophet Moses for showing disrespect to his
forefathers. At the same time he also wanted to incite his courtiers
and the common people of Egypt against the Message of Prophet Moses.
And this trick has always been used against the people who propagate
the Truth and has always proved very effective to incite those
people who lack common sense. This same trick has been mentioned
here for it was being employed at the very time against the Holy
Prophet by the people of Makkah.

25This
answer is full of wisdom. If Prophet Moses had said, "Yes, they
all lacked common sense and had gone astray and would become the
fuel of Hell", this answer, though true, would have served the
very purpose Pharaoh had in mind in putting the question. But the
answer given by the Prophet was true and it frustrated the trick of
Pharaoh as well. His answer was to this effect: "Well, those
people have now gone before their Lord, and I have no means of
judging their deeds and intentions. However, their whole record is
safe and secure with Allah, and nothing can escape Him. Allah alone
knows how to deal with them. What concerns you and me is our own
position and attitude to life. We should be more concerned about our
own end than of those who have already passed away into Allah's
presence."

26It
is quite obvious that vv, 53-55 are an addition by Allah to the
foregoing answer by Prophet Moses. There are other instances of this
in the Qur'an that Allah added a few sentences to the speech of
someone by way of admonition. Moreover, it is connected not only
with the preceding verse but also with the whole reply of Prophet
Moses (vv. 50-52).

27That
is, "Those, who use their common sense in their search for the
Truth, find a way to the Reality by the help of these Signs, which
clearly show that the universe has One Lord Who alone is sustaining
it, and there is no room here for any other lord."

28That
is, Every man has to pass through three stages: (1) from birth to
death, (2) from death to Resurrection, and (3) from the Day of
Resurrection to Eternity. According to this verse, all the three
stages will take place on this Earth.

29"Signs"
comprised those arguments which were based on natural phenomena and
human life and those miracles which were given to Prophet Moses.
These arguments are contained in the speeches of Prophet Moses which
he delivered before Pharaoh, and the miracles which he showed and
are mentioned at several places in the Qur'an.

30Here
by sorcery are meant the miracles of the staff and the shining hand,
which according to the details given in Chapters VII and XXVI, were
shown to Pharaoh by Prophet Moses in his first visit to his court.
On seeing these miracles Pharaoh was so upset that he cried out,
"Have you come to drive us out of .our country by the power of
your sorcery? although he knew that it had never happened in history
that a magician had conquered a country by the power of sorcery.
Moreover, there were hundreds of magicians in his own country, who
used to show their feats to earn rewards and prizes. Accordingly,
Pharaoh's statement that "you are a sorcerer" on the one
hand, and his apprehension that "you want to snatch my kingdom"
on the other, were a clear indication of his perturbed mind: In
fact, Pharaoh had come to understand that the welt-reasoned speech
of Moses and his miracles were bound to influence not only his
courtiers, but also the common people and accordingly he tried to
play upon their prejudices through falsehood and treachery. He did
not admit that it was a miracle, but called it sorcery. He wanted to
create an impression that any sorcerer of his empire could turn a
staff into a serpent. He also incited the people, saying: "Look!
he says that your forefathers were on the wrong way and deserved
perdition. So beware of him! He is not a Prophet. He simply aspires
for power. He wants that the Israelites should again capture power
here like the times of Joseph and wrest the reigns of government
from the Copts." Pharaoh, in fact, wanted to suppress the
invitation to the Truth through such devices. (For details please
see E.N.'s 87 to 89 of Chapter VII; E.N. 75 of Chapter X).

31The
object of Pharaoh was this: "Once the sorcerers are able to
transform the staffs and ropes into serpents, the entire effect of
the miracle performed by Moses would disappear from the people's
minds. That was exactly to Moses' advantage, who suggested that it
was no good fixing an ordinary day or place for the purpose. The Day
of the Feast was at hand. People would flock on that occasion from
all corners of the empire. Therefore, the encounter should be held
in the open so that all might witness it, and in the day time so
that every one should be able to see it clearly."

32Pharaoh
and his courtiers considered the coming encounter as a decisive one
as far as their own future was concerned and, therefore, they
attached the utmost importance to it. Courtiers were sent throughout
the country to muster round all the magicians wherever available.
People were especially encouraged to come in the largest numbers to
witness the magic skills so as to keep them immune From the awe
inspired by the staff of Moses. It was openly said that the fate of
their religion hinged on the skill of their magicians: their
religion could survive only if they won; otherwise the religion of
Moses would have its sway (see XXVI: 34-51).

Here one
should bear in mind the fact that the religion of the royal family
and the elite of Egypt was much different from that of the common
people. They had separate gods and temples and different creeds and
concepts about the life after death. They also differed in the
practice of religion as well as in the ideologies. (Toynbee: A Study
of History: Somervell's Abridgment Vols. I-VI, pp. 31-32). Moreover,
there were sufficiently strong pockets of the population, who under
the influence of various religious upheavals, were prone to prefer
Monotheism to a creed of polytheism. Besides this, there was also a
fairly large element of the worshipers of One God for the Israelites
and their fellow believers were at least ten per cent of the total
population. Pharaoh also remembered that about 150 years earlier a
religious revolution had been brought about by Pharaoh Amenophis IV
or Akhenaton (1377-1360 B.C.) by military force, which had abolished
all deities except Aton, a single, universal god, which was
worshiped by the king and his family. Though this religious
revolution had been reversed later by another king, yet its
influence retrained, and Pharaoh dreaded that Moses might bring
about yet another revolution.

33The
"adversaries" whom Prophet Moses addressed were Pharaoh
and his courtiers who had dubbed him as a "sorcerer", and
not the common people, who had yet to see the encounter between him
and the magicians.

34"The
falsehoods" were that they had dubbed Allah's Messenger as a
"sorcerer" and his miracles as "a piece of sorcery."

35This
shows that those people felt in their hearts that their position was
weak and knew that the miracle shown by Prophet Moses was not a
piece of magic. Therefore, they had come for the encounter with
hesitation and fear. But when the timely, sudden warning of Prophet
Moses shook them to the core, they began to debate the wisdom of
holding the encounter on the Feast Day in an open place in the broad
day light. For they thought that if they were defeated in the
presence of the common people, all would come to know of the
difference between magic and a miracle and they would lose the
battle once for all.

36Those
who were of this view must have been a few fanatics of Pharaoh's
party who were prepared to go to any extent to oppose Prophet Moses.
Those hot-headed people must have been preparing the public for a
determined encounter, while the saner and experienced among them
must have been advising caution and restraint.

(1) If
their magicians were also able to turn their staffs into serpents,
it would be a clear proof that Moses too was a sorcerer.

(2) If,
on the other hand, Moses won, the rulers would lose their country,
and their ideal way of life, which reflected their culture, their
arts, their civilization, their recreations, etc. would
automatically come to an end. Therefore they should do all they
could to defeat Moses.

38They
also urged them to present a united front and not to show their
differences on the very occasion of the encounter. For, they argued,
any hesitation and secret consultation before the very eyes of the
public would show that they did not consider themselves to be in the
right.

39That
confidence was subsequently restored among Pharaoh's party by the
speech of the head-strong people, and the magicians were asked to
come iota the field for the encounter, has been omitted.

40In
V11: 116, it was stated: "When they threw down their devices
they bewitched the eyes of the people and filled their hearts with
terror." Here it is stated that it was not the common people
alone who were terrified by their magic but Prophet Moses too
suffered from its effect. He not only seemed to see that the staffs
and cords were running about like serpents but he also felt a dread
of them.

41It
appears that no sooner did Prophet Moses say, "Cast down",
than the magicians immediately cast their staffs and cords and it
seemed as if hundreds of serpents were running towards him, and he
instinctively felt a dread of them. And there is nothing strange in
this because a Prophet is after all a human being. Besides this, it
is also possible that Prophet Moses apprehended that the
demonstration of the magic might create a misunderstanding among the
people about his miracle.

This is
also a proof that a Prophet too can be influenced by magic to a
certain extent like the common people, though magicians have no
power to produce any effect on his Prophethood or interfere with
Revelation, or misguide hint. Therefore there is no reason why one
should consider as false those traditions in which it has been
stated that the Holy Prophet suffered temporarily from the effect of
magic.

(1) the
staff, which was turned into a dragon by a miracle, actually
swallowed up all the staffs and cords which had been trade to appear
as serpents.

(2) The
dragon of the staff did not actually swallow up the serpents of the
magicians but wiped out the effect of their magic from these things
and they again became ordinary cords and staffs.

We prefer
the second interpretation because the wording of VII: 117 and XXVI:
45 is this: "It swallowed up their false magic", and here
the wording is: "It will swallow up all their sham creation".
Obviously, the staffs and cords were not their creation but the
tragic which had made them appear like serpents.

43When
they saw the power of the staff of Moses, they involuntarily fell
prostrate as if some one had trade them do so, because they were
convinced that it was a miracle and not a feat of tragic.

44This
profession of faith by the magicians shows that every one was aware
of the basic object of the encounter. It was not an encounter
between the feats of the magicians and those of Prophet Moses, but
it was to decide whether the claim of Prophet Moses that he was a
Messenger of Allah was true or not. If this staff was actually
turned into a dragon, it was by means of a miracle. On the other
hand, Pharaoh intended to prove by the feats of his magicians that
it was not a miracle but a feat of magic. Incidentally, this also
shows that Pharaoh and his magicians and the common people fully
understood the distinction between a miracle and a feat of magic.
,That is why when the magicians saw that it was a miracle shown by
the power of Allah which had exposed their magic, they did not say
that Moses was a more skillful magician, but straightway fell
prostrate, saying, "We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses."

It is
obvious that the defeat turned the tables on Pharaoh who had himself
arranged the encounter "to expose" Prophet Moses. He had
mustered all his magicians with a view to demonstrating before the
public that there was nothing extraordinary in turning a staff into
a serpent for this could be done by every magician. But the defeat
of the magicians and their acknowledgment testified that Moses was
really a Messenger of Allah and the transformation of the staff was
not a feat of magic but a miracle.

45In
VII : 123, it has been stated : "Indeed it was a plot you
conspired in the city to deprive the rightful owners of their
power." Here the same thing has been further explained, as if
to say, "It is not merely a plot between you and him but it
appears that Moses is your master and leader. You conspired
beforehand that you would be defeated by your master in the
encounter to prove that he was a Messenger who had shown the miracle
of the staff to frustrate your magic and bring about a political
revolution in the country."

47This
was a very cruel way of punishment in ancient times. They fixed a
long pole in the ground or used the trunk of a tree for this
purpose. Then a piece of wood was tied across it at the top. Then
the hands of the criminal were nailed on to it and he was left
hanging there for hours to die a slow, painful death.

48This
was the last trick played by Pharaoh to win the losing game. He held
out the threat of a cruel punishment in order to coerce them to
admit that there really was a conspiracy between Prophet Moses and
them against the kingdom. But the fortitude and determination of the
magicians turned the tables on him. The very fact that, they were
ready to endure the terrible punishment proved to the world that
they had sincerely believed in the Prophethood of Moses and that the
charge of conspiracy was an impudent trick that had been invented as
a device.

49It
may also be interpreted like this: "It cannot be that we should
prefer you to these plain Signs which have come before us and to
that Being Who has created us."

50This
is a saying of Allah, which has been added to the foregoing words of
the magicians.

51This
is the most terrible of all the punishments that have been mentioned
in the Qur'an. The criminal will prefer death to the horrible life
in Hell, but death will not come to him. He will remain in that
state of agony without any hope of relief from it.

52Here
the details of the events which happened during the long period of
Prophet Moses' stay in Egypt have been omitted. For these please see
VII: 130-147, X: 83-92, XL: 23-50 and XLIII: 46-56.

53This
happened when God at last appointed a night for the exodus of the
Israelites and the other Muslims from Egypt. They were asked to
gather at a fixed place and set forth as a caravan. Just at the time
when they reached the coast of the Red Sea Prom where they had to
cross to the Sinai Peninsula, Pharaoh arrived there with a large
army in their pursuit. We learn from XXVI: 61 -63 that when they
were literally between the devil and the deep sea, Allah commanded
Moses to smite the sea with his staff and according to this verse
the sea tore asunder and stood like two high walls on both sides,
leaving a dry path between them for the caravan to pass. Thus, it is
quite clear and plain that it was a miracle, and not the result of a
wind storm or tide, for when the water rises in this way it does not
remain standing like two high walls, leaving a dry path between
them. ( For details see E.N. 47 of Chapter XXVI).

54According
to XXVI: 64-66, Pharaoh with his hosts. followed the caravan on the
dry path and they were all drowned. In II :50, it has been stated
that the Israelites had reached the other shore and saw them
drowning in the sea. From X: 90-92, we learn that Pharaoh professed
to believe in God while he was drowning but this was rejected by God
and he was told that his dead body would he preserved for the coming
generations to serve as a lesson for them.

55This
was a subtle warning to the disbelievers of Makkah, as if to say,
"Your chiefs and leaders are leading you on the same way on
which Pharaoh led his people; now you may yourselves see that he did
not guide them aright."

In
conclusion, it will be worth while to consider the version as given
in the Bible, for this will make it plain that it is absolutely
false and ridiculous to say that the Qur'an has copied these stories
from the Israelite traditions. We learn from Exodus the following:

(1)
According to 4: 2-5, the miracle of the staff was given to Prophet
Moses, and in 4:17 he was instructed: "And thou shalt take this
rod in throe hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs", but
according to 7: 9, the same rod was transferred to Prophet Aaron and
then it remained with him to work miracles.

(2) The
first dialogue between Prophet Moses and Pharaoh has been given in
Chapter 5, but there is no mention in it whatever of the Doctrine of
Tauhid presented by Moses. In answer to Pharaoh's question: "Who
is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know
not the Lord", Moses and Aaron merely said, "The God of
the Hebrews hath met with us". (5: 2-3).

(3) The
encounter with the magicians has been summed up in a few sentences
thus: "And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you:
then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before
Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in
unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron
cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it
became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the
sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner
with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and
they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods."
(7' 8-12)

When we
compare this with the version of it in the Qur'an, it becomes
obvious that the description in the Bible lacks the real essence of
the whole encounter, for it does not mention that the encounter took
place on the Day of the Feast in the open as a result of a regular
challenge, and there is no mention at all that the magicians became
believers in the Lord of Moses and Aaron and remained steadfast in
their faith even in face of terrible threats.

(4)
According to the Qur'an, Prophet Moses demanded full freedom and
liberty for the Israelites, but according to the Bible his demand
was only this: "Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey
into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God. " (5:3)

(5) In
Chapters 11 to 14, the details of the events concerning the exodus
from Egypt to the drowning of Pharaoh have been given. Though these
contain some useful information and details about the events which
have been briefly described in the Qur'an, they contain some strange
contradictions as well. For instance, in 14:15-16 the staff (rod)
again comes into the hands of Prophet Moses, who is commanded: "....
lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out throe hand over the sea, and
divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through
the midst of the sea." But in w. 21 -22, it is said: "And
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the
sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea
dry /and, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel
went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground.' and the waters
were a wall unto them, on their right hand, and on their left. "
It is not clear whether the sea was divided by a miracle or by a
strong "east wind" which incidentally has never been known
to divide the sea into two parts leaving a dry path between them.

It will
also be worth while to make a study of these events as given in the
Talmud. The Talmudic account differs from the Biblical version but
is nearer to the one given in the Qur'an. A comparative study of the
two clearly shows that the one is based on direct Revelation from
Allah and the other on centuries old oral traditions which have been
handed down from one generation to the other and thus considerably
tampered with. (See H. Polano: The Talmud Selections, pp. 150-154).

56The
part of the story relating to their journey from the Red Sea to the
toot of Mount Tur has been omitted. This has already been given in
VII:138-147. It has also been stated there that the Israelites said
to Moses, "O Moses, make a god also for us like the gods these
people have". (See VII:138 and its E.N. 98).

58According
to II: 51 and VII: 142, Prophet Moses and the chiefs of the
Israelites were summoned to Mount Tur for receiving the Divine
Commandments on stone tablets for the guidance of the people. (See
E.N. 71 of Chapter II).

59For
details please see E.N. 73 of Chapter II and E.N. 119 of Chapter
VII. According to the Bible, manna and salva started being provided
to the Israelites when they were passing through the wilderness
between Elim and Sinai. According to Exodus, manna and salva were
sent down thus:

"And
it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the
camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when
the dew that lay was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness
there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the
ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to
another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said
unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat
.....And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it
was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers
made with honey." (16: 13-15, 31).

In
Numbers, the following details have been given:

"And
the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or
beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and
the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell
upon the camp in the bight, the manna fell upon it." (11: 8-9).

60According
to this verse (82), there are four conditions for forgiveness:

(1)
Repentance: to refrain from rebellion, disobedience, shirk or
disbelief.

(2)
Faith: sincere belief in Allah and the Messenger and the Book and
the' Hereafter.

(3)
Righteous works : to do good deeds according to the instructions of
Allah and His Messenger.

(4)
Guidance: to follow the right way steadfastly and to refrain from
straying into any wrong path.

61From
here the same account is resumed that was interrupted by the
parenthesis (vv. 81-82). The Israelites were told to stay on the
right side of Mount Tur, and they would be given the Commandments
after forty days.

62This
shows that in his eagerness to see his Lord as soon as possible,
Prophet Moses had left them in the way and reached the meeting place
alone. For the details of that meeting the reader should see VII:
143-145. Here only that portion has been mentioned which is
connected with the calf-worship by the Israelites. This has been
stated here to bring home to the disbelievers of Makkah how
idol-worship starts and how deeply a Prophet of Allah is concerned
about this evil.

63It
is obvious from the last letter `ya' that Samiri was not the proper
name of the person, for this Arabic letter is always added to show a
person's connection with his race or clan or place. Moreover, the
prefix `al' (definite article 'the') in the original Arabic text
clearly denotes that the Samiri was a particular man from among many
other persons of the same race or clan or place, who had propagated
(he worship of the golden calf. In fact, this does not require any
further explanation than this, but this has been necessitated
because many Christian missionaries and the Western Orientalists
have tried to criticise the Holy Prophet and the Qur'an on this
account. They say, (God forbid,) "This is a proof of the
grievous ignorance of history on the part of Muhammad, the author of
the Qur'an, and is one of the anachronisms of the Qur'an." They
base this absurd criticism on the assumption that this Samiri was
the inhabitant of Samaria, the capital of the ancient kingdom of
Israel, which was built in 925 B.C. long after this happening; then
centuries after this, a generation of the Samaritans came into
existence as a result of inter-marriage between the Israelites and
the non-Israelites. As the Samaritans worshiped the golden calf, the
critics accuse the Holy Prophet of inventing this story on the basis
of mere hearsay. They say that the Holy Prophet might have heard
something like this from the neighboring Jews and inserted it in the
Qur'an. This is not all. They also criticize that Haman who was a
courtier of Cyrus has been mentioned in the Qur'an as a minister of
Pharaoh. It is a pity that these so-called scholars seem to think
that in the ancient times there used to be only one person bearing
one name in a clan or a place, and there was absolutely no
possibility of another person or persons having the same name. They
do not know, or pretend they do not know, that during the time of
Prophet Abraham, a famous people known as the Sumerians inhabited
'Iraq and the neighbouring regions, and it is just possible that
during the time of Prophet Moses there were some people known as the
Samiris who might have migrated to Egypt from 'Iraq. Besides this,
according to the Bible (1 Kings, 16: 24), Samaria itself was built
on a hill which was bought from Shemer and named Samaria after him.
This is a clear proof that there were people named Shemer (or Sumer)
even before Samaria came into existence and it is also just possible
that some clans might have been called "Samiri"

64That
is, "Did not Allah fulfill the promises He made with you of
showing His favors to you? For instance, He safely brought you out
of Egypt and not only freed you from the slavery of your enemy but
also destroyed him totally. He provided you with provisions in the
desert and in the mountainous regions." It may also be
translated like this: "Did not Allah make a good promise with
you?" In that case, it will mean: "He made a promise that
he will give you the Law and Guidance: was this not a good promise
for your well being and betterment?"

65That
is,"Had a long time passed since those great favors were done
to you that you forgot them? Had long ages passed since you were
afflicted with persecution by your enemy that you committed such a
blasphemy?" It may also be translated like this : Had you to
wait for a long time for the fulfillment of God's promise .that you
became so impatient?" In that case, the meaning is obvious:
"You had not to wait for a long time to see the fulfillment of
the promise of Guidance. Therefore there was no excuse for what you
did."

66This
Covenant was the one which every community makes with its Prophet
and promises that it will steadfastly follow the Guidance brought by
him and will not worship anyone except Allah.

67This
excuse was put forward by those people who were involved in the
shirk fabricated by the Samiri. They meant to say, "We did not
throw down the ornaments with the intention of setting up a calf nor
did we know what was going to be made of these, but when the calf
was brought before us, we involuntarily got involved in shirk. "
The Arabic text which we have translated into: "We felt
burdened with the ornaments of the people", simply means this:
"The heavy ornaments which our men and women were wearing like
the Egyptians proved very burdensome to us in our wanderings in the
desert and we did not know how to get rid of them for it appeared
very difficult for us to travel in the desert with them." But
according to the Bible these ornaments had been borrowed by every
family of the Israelites from their Egyptian neighbors with this
intention, "....and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon
your daughters and ye shall spoil the Egyptians....and let every man
borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of
silver, and jewels of gold....And the Lord gave the people favor in
the sight of the Egyptians....so that they lent unto them such
things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." And
that, too, on the advice of Prophet Moses, whom God Himself had
instructed to do this "noble deed." (Exodus, 3: 1422, 11 :
2-3, and I 2 : 35-36).

It is a
pity that some of our commentators have interpreted this verse in
the light of the above traditions of the Bible. They say that the
Israelites felt burdened with the weight of those ornaments which
they had borrowed from their Egyptian neighbors, with the intention
of carrying them away as a "spoil" bestowed by God.

We are of
the opinion that the clause of the verse under discussion means
this: "When the people were tired of carrying their ornaments
on their bodies, they decided by mutual consultation that all the
ornaments should be gathered at one place and it should be noted
down how much gold and silver belonged to each of the owners. Then
it should be melted into bars and rods and placed on the backs of
the beasts of burden." Accordingly, they might have brought
their ornaments and thrown them in the common heap.

68It
is obvious from the context that the answer of the people ended with
"threw them down", and Allah Himself has added the
remaining story up to the end of the paragraph. It appears from this
that the people including the Samiri went on bringing their
ornaments and throwing them down into the heap while they were
absolutely unaware of what was going to be done by the Samiri. After
this the Samiri offered his services to melt it. Then he shaped it
into a calf which lowed like a cow. Thus the Samiri deluded the
people, saying, "This god of yours has come into being by
itself for I had simply thrown the gold in the fire.

69Here
the Qur'an exonerates Prophet Aaron from the sin of taking any pan
in the calf-worship, but in contrast to this, the Bible makes him
wholly responsible for making the golden calf and setting it up as a
god. According to Exodus:

"And
when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the
mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said
unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for
this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot
not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the
golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons,
and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people
broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought
them unto Aaron. And he received them at his hand, and fashioned it
with a graying tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they
said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar. before it;
and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the
Lord." 1,32: 1-5).

It is
just possible that the real name of the Samiri was also Aaron which
later on might have misled the Israelites to attribute the making of
the golden calf to Prophet Aaron. Thus it is obvious that the Qur'an
has shown a favor to the Jews and Christians by exonerating Prophet
Aaron from the sin, but it is an irony that the Christian
missionaries and the Orientalists still insist that the Qur'an is
guilty of anachronism and that the calf was made a deity of worship
by a holy prophet of ,theirs. In their blind obduracy they forget
that even according to the Bible this was a great sin. (Exodus, 32:
21). A little further on in the same chapter the Bible again
contradicts itself. It says that Prophet Moses ordered the Levites
to kill all their kinsfolk, their friends and their fellow country
men who had been guilty of the sin of calf-worship. Accordingly,
about three thousand men fell that day. (Exodus, 32: 27-29).

Now the
question arises: Why was Prophet Aaron not killed, if he was the
inventor of the calf-worship? Why didn't the Levites ask Prophet
Moses to kill his brother, Prophet Aaron, who was the real sinner,
just as they were asked to kill theirs. The Bible also says that
after this Moses went back to the Eternal and prayed Him to forgive
their sins or blot him out of His list of the living, and the
Eternal answered: "Whosoever has sinned against me, him will I
blot out of my book" (Exodus, 32: 31-33). But we learn from the
Bible that the name of Prophet Aaron was not blotted out, but, on
the other hand, he and his sons and his family were given the charge
of the sanctuary and the office of priesthood (Numbers, 18: 1-7).
Thus it is quite evident from the internal testimony of the Bible
itself, that it contradicts itself and supports the Qur'an in its
exoneration of Prophet Aaron.

70The
"command" refers to the instructions which Prophet Moses
gave to his brother Aaron when he made him his deputy in his absence
when he went up to Mount Tur: "After me take my place and do
the right and follow not the way of the mischief-makers". (VII:
142).

72It
can also be interpreted like this: "You did not wait for orders
from me" In order to understand fully the statement of Prophet
Aaron, one should read this verse along with verse 150 of Chapter
VII, where he says: "Son of my mother, these people overpowered
me and were going to kill me: so, let not the enemies gloat over me:
do not count the among the people who have done wrong." Now if
both these verses are read together, one can easily see the true
picture of the event: Prophet Aaron did his utmost to stop the
people from committing the sin of calf-worship, but they revolted
against him and might even have killed him. Fearing a clash between
them, therefore, he held his peace lest Prophet Moses, on his
return, might blame him for letting the situation worsen and failing
to control it effectively in his absence. The last clause of VII:
150 also gives the hint that there existed among the people a good
number of the enemies of the two brothers.

73Here
has been a good deal of divergence of opinion in regard to the
interpretation of this verse. According to the majority of the early
commentators and their followers, it means: "The Samiri saw the
Messenger (Angel Gabriel) when he was passing and took a handful of
dust from his footprints. Then he sprinkled this upon the idol of
the golden calf. This created life in it and it began to low like a
living calf." The Qur'an, in fact, does not say that this
actually happened but merely cites the reply given by the Samiri to
Prophet Moses when the latter took him to, task for the great sin he
had committed.

There are
others who interpret the words of the Samiri; like this: "I saw
a Weakness in the Messenger (Prophet Moses) or in his Creed, which
others did not see. Therefore I followed in his footsteps to a
certain limit but afterwards I left his way." This
interpretation was moat probably put forward first of all by Abu
Muslim Isfahani. Then Imam Razi not only cited it in his own
Commentary but also approved of it. And now it is being followed by
some modernistic commentators, who try to prove their own favorite
theories by giving far-fetched interpretations to the obvious
meaning of the words of the Qur'an. Such people forget that the
Qur'an has not been sent down in the terminology of enigmas, riddles
and puzzles but in clear, plain and intelligible Arabic. Therefore
the Qur'an would have never employed the words it has used in the
Text to convey the meaning given by them because their usage cannot
support that far-fetched interpretation. What such interpreters
really mean to imply is that Allah has failed to express Himself
clearly and plainly; therefore, they wish to come to His rescue by
their interpretations in order to save Him from the ridicule of the
"learned" people.

If we
study the verse in the context in which it occurs, we shall be able
to understand easily that the Samiri was a mischief-monger who had
contrived his deceitful scheme after a good deal of consideration.
As he appears to have been a good craftsman, he caused the golden
calf he had made to produce a lowing sound, and successfully deluded
the ignorant and simple people. He did not rest content with this
but impudently invented the story that he had seen what the common
people could not see and that he had taken a handful of the dust
from the footprints of the Messenger and sprinkled it on the calf
which made it low like a living calf. It is possible that by the
"Messenger", he meant Prophet Moses himself and might have
cunningly tried to flatter him, saying, that the dust of his
footprints was miraculous. By saying so, he was playing the most
subtle trick. He wanted to offer an intellectual bait to Moses so
that he might feel elated about the miraculous effect of the dust
trodden by his feet and utilize his services for propagating his own
miraculous acts. Anyhow, the fact is that the Qur'an has presented
the whole thing as a trick of the Samiri and has not given the
account as if it were a real event by itself. The subsequent
reaction of Prophet Moses to the statement of the Samiri clearly
shows that he considered it as a deceitful story, and so laid the
curse on him.

74The
words show that he was not only made an outcast for life but was
made to inform the people himself that he was an outcast, as given
in Leviticus:

"And
the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his
head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall
cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in
him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone;
without the camp shall his habitation be ". (13: 45-46).

We
conclude from this that either he was inflicted with leprosy as a
scourge by . Allah or the punishment inflicted on him was that,
being a moral "leper", he should be made an outcast and
should himself proclaim to be an unclean and impure person, saying,
"Touch me not".

75Now
that the story of Prophet Moses comes to an end, the same theme,
that was interrupted by this story, has been resumed.

76That
is, the Qur'an about which it was said at the beginning of the Surah
that it had not been sent down to put the Holy Prophet in distress,
and that it was an Admonition for the God-fearing.

77Here
the people have been warned that whoso will turn away front the
Qur'an and will reject its guidance, he shall do harm to himself
only and not to Allah and His Messenger, and that the one, who
rejects His Message, shall inevitably be punished in the Hereafter.
And this warning holds good for every people, every country and
every age. This is because there are only two alternatives for an
individual or a community, whom the Message of the Qur'an reaches.
They can either accept it or reject it; there is no third way.

78As
regards the nature of the blowing of the "Trumpet" on the
Day of Resurrection, it may be likened to the blowing of the bugle
in the army to muster or disperse the soldiers. It is obvious that
these words and terms have been used because these are known to the
people. Therefore it will be wrong to consider the "Trumpet"
to be exactly like the bugles and trumpets of this world.

79According
to some Commentators, it means this: "The bodies of the
criminals will turn white as if no drop of blood had been left in
them."

80The
original text tray also be interpreted to mean: "After your
death, you may have passed hardly ten days till now." As
regards the interpretation adopted in the translation, it is
supported by XXVI: 112-113: "When Allah will ask them, 'For how
many years did you stay on the Earth?' They will say, 'We stayed
there for a day - or a pan of a day: You may ask those who have kept
the record!" The second interpretation is supported by XXX:
55-56: "And on the day when Resurrection will take place, the
criminals will declare on oaths, 'We have not remained in the state
of dealt for more than an hour.' And likewise they were deluded on
the Earth. On the other hand, those who have been given Knowledge
and Faith will say, 'According to the Book of Allah, you have
remained in this state up to the Day of Resurrection, and this is
the very Day of Resurrection, but you did not know of it'. "
Both the interpretations are supported by other verses of the
Qur'an. It is clear from these that they will consider both the life
on the Earth and the life in the interval between death and
Resurrection to be very short. They will consider the earthly life
to be very short because, against all their expectations, they will
have to face the eternal life in the Hereafter which they denied in
their earthly life. As they had made no preparation for this life,
they will wring their hands with regret that they had ruined their
eternal life for the sake of a few transitory pleasures of the short
life they had been given on the Earth. As regards the duration of
the interval between death and Resurrection, they will consider it
to be very short, for they will imagine that they had been suddenly
awakened by the "Trumpet" from their last sleep or
unconsciousness in their earthly life. Thus, they will not at first
realize that the "Trumpet" was the signal for the Day of
Resurrection because they had no expectation whatever that the Day
of Resurrection would ever come. As a matter of fact, they used to
make fun of this Day as a nonsensical thing.

81This
is a parenthesis that has been inserted to remove this doubt of the
hearers: "How has it been known today what the people will be
talking in whispers in the Plain of Resurrection?"

82This
is another parenthesis which has been inserted in answer to another
objection raised by some hearer. It appears that when this Surah was
being recited, some one might have raised this question as a
ridicule: 'Where will these high mountains go on the Day of
Resurrection, for it appears from your description of Resurrection
that all the people of the world will be running about in a level
plain?' In order to understand the background of the question, it
should be kept in mind that Makkah, where this Surah was first
recited on the occasion of its revelation, is surrounded on all
sides by high mountains. The answer to this question follows
immediately: "Allah will reduce them to fine dust and scatter
it away."

83According
to the Qur'an, the earth will take a new shape in the Hereafter:

"The
earth will be spread." (LXXXIV: 3).

"The
bottoms of the oceans will be split (and the whole water will sink
down in the earth.)" (LXXXII: 3).

"The
oceans will be filled up". (LXXXI: 6).

"The
mountains will be reduced to fine dust and scattered away and there
will be left no curve or crease in the earth". (XX: 105-107).

"On
that day the earth will be totally changed". (XIV: 48).

"And
it will be turned into a garden and given to the pious people to
dwell therein for ever." (XXXIX: 74).

This
shows that ultimately this earth will be turned into Paradise which
will be inherited by the pious and righteous servants of Allah. The
whole earth will become one country, and there will be no mountains,
oceans, rivers and deserts which today divide it into countless
countries and homelands and divide mankind as well into as many
tribes, races and classes. Hadrat Ibn 'Abbas and Qatadah have held
this same view that Paradise will be established on this very earth.

84The
original Arabic word (hams) is used for the sound of footsteps, the
sound of whispering and other low sounds. What it implies here is
that the people will be so awe-stricken on that Day that there will
be no sound other than that of footsteps and whispering.

85This
has another interpretation also: "On that Day intercession will
not be effective except in the case of the one for whom the Merciful
may allow it and be pleased to hear it for him." Both these
interpretations are supported by the following:

"Who
is there that can intercede with Him except by His own permission?"
(11: 255).

"On
that Day when the spirit and the angels will stand with folded
hands, they will not be able to say anything except what the
Merciful will permit, and they will say the right thing."
(LXXVIII: 38). "They do not intercede for anyone except for
whom the Merciful may be pleased to listen to, and they are always
fearful of Him." (XXI: 28).

"There
are many angels in the heavens whose intercession avails nothing at
all except when it is made after getting permission from Allah, and
for the one for whom He wills to hear and approves of it."
(LIII: 26).

86Here
the reasons for the restrictions on intercession have been stated.
On the one hand, no angel, no prophet, no saint, nor anyone else
knows, nor can know, the full details about the records of others.
On the other hand, Allah has full knowledge of all the deeds and
misdeeds of everyone and He knows who deserves pardon or punishment,
and how much. If, therefore, there had been full freedom for
intercession the whole purpose of the creation of man would have
become meaningless. According to this verse, the door against
intercession has not been entirely closed. The righteous people will
be allowed to show their sympathy for other human beings as they did
in the world, but they will have to get permission for this
beforehand and even then make only a right sort of recommendation.

87From
this, it is clear that in the Hereafter the case of every individual
will be decided on merits. If a man had been guilty of iniquity and
injustice in regard to the rights of God or the rights of man or
even his own rights, he shall be dealt with accordingly. On the
other hand, those, who are both believers and workers of righteous
deeds, shall have no fear that they would be deprived of their
rights or punished even though they were innocent.

88"....
thus .. Qur'an": This means that the Qur'an is full of such
high themes, wise teachings and admonitions as are contained in the
preceding portion of this Surah as well as in the other Surahs of
the Book.

89That
is, "The Arabic Qur'an might awaken them from their
heedlessness and they might recollect the forgotten lessons and feel
that they are going astray and might realize the consequences
thereof."

90Such
sentences as this are usually found in the Qur'an at the end of a
discourse so that it may end with the praise of Allah. It is plain
from the context that the discourse ends with “the True King.”

91At
the end of the discourse, the Angel cautions the Holy Prophet by
Allah's Command to guard against a thing that had been noticed
during the Revelation, for it was not considered appropriate to do
so during its recital. It is obvious from the wording of the caution
that the Holy Prophet was trying to learn the revealed discourse and
was repeating it during its recital by the Angel. Naturally this
might have diverted his attention over and over again from listening
to and grasping the Revelation. Therefore it was felt necessary that
he should be taught the right method of the receipt of the message
of Revelation and be asked not to try to commit it to memory during
the Revelation.

This
sentence shows that this portion of Surah Ta Ha is one of the
earliest Revelations, for we learn from the other early Surahs that
the Holy Prophet tried to commit to memory the Qur'anic Revelation
and Allah cautioned him against it. For instance in LXXV: 16-19, he
was told: "Do not move your tongue over and over again in order
to learn the Revelation, for it is Our responsibility to cause you
to remember it by heart and recite it. Therefore when it is being
recited to you, listen to it carefully. Then it is also Our
responsibility to make its meanings clear to you.

Again in
LXXXVII: 6, he was assured: "We will teach you how to recite it
and you will not forget it." It appears that afterwards when
the Holy Prophet had learnt how to receive the messages of
Revelation, this did not occur. That is why there is no such caution
in the Surahs of the later period.

92From
here begins a new discourse, which probably was sent down some time
after the preceding discourse (see E.N. 90), and it was incorporated
in this Surah by the command of Allah because both deal with the
same theme. The following are the similarities between the two:

(1) Both the discourses remind mankind of the
"forgotten lesson", the Admonition, which Allah had taught
man on the occasion of his creation.

(2) Both teach that it is Satan who seduces
man to forget that lesson. He succeeded in this by causing his first
parents to forget it; since then he has been forgetting it over and
over again and, therefore, has been cautioned against this.

(3) Both warn man that his ultimate success or
failure depends upon his attitude towards this "Admonition."

(4) Both warn mankind to discriminate between
an inadvertent error and an intentional rebellion and their
consequences. If man (like Prophet Adam and his offspring and the
magicians of Pharaoh) realizes that he has been seduced by Satan,
his eternal enemy, and then repents of his error, he is forgiven.
But there is no forgiveness for intentional rebellion as was the
case with Satan, Pharaoh and the Samiri.

93The
story of Prophet Adam has already been stated in 11: 30-39, VII:
11-27, 189, XV: 28-42, XVII: 61-65 and XVIII: 51-52. But at every
place only that part of the story which was relevant to the context
has been cited. Therefore, in order to understand the whole story
well, one should read it in all the Surahs along with the relevant
E.N's.

94This
means that he disobeyed the Command because he lacked the firmness
of purpose and not because of intentional rebellion. He did not say,
"I don't care for Allah. If it is His Command, let it be. I
will do whatever I like. Who is Allah to intervene in my private
affairs?"

On the contrary, he disobeyed because he
forgot Allah's Command, and did not show firmness of purpose and
determination against the temptations presented by Satan. This is
shown by his subsequent repentance.

95Here
the Command, which was given to Prophet Adam, has not been
mentioned, which was: "You must not eat the fruit of this
tree." This has been mentioned at other places but has been
omitted here because the emphasis here is on this weakness of man
that he is easily seduced by Satan in spite of the forewarnings and
admonitions to this effect.

96Both
knew that Satan was their enemy, for Adam himself had witnessed the
demonstration of his enmity, when he had refused to bow down before
him and declared in plain words, "I am better than he; Thou
didst create me of tire and him of clay". (VII: 12, XXXVIII:
76, see also XV: 33). "Should I bow before the one whom Thou
hast created out of clay?" And then added, "Just consider
was he worthy of this that Thou hast exalted him over me?"
(XVII: 61-b2). Then Satan did not rest content with this bragging of
superiority but evinced his jealousy by giving an open challenge
that he would prove it by seducing Adam. (VII: 16, 17; XV: 36-42;
XVII: 62-6b; XXXVIII: 82-83).

97This
was to forewarn both of them of the consequences of disobedience of
the Command.

98This
is the explanation of the "distress" which they had to
undergo immediately after their expulsion from the Garden. Here
instead of mentioning the high and perfect blessings of the Garden,
only four basic necessities of life have been stated, namely, food,
drink, dress, and shelter, as if to say, "In the Garden you are
being supplied with all these necessities without any labor from
you. But if you succumb to the temptations and seduction of Satan,
you will be totally deprived not only of these facilities but also
of the higher blessings of the Garden. In that case, you will have
to work so hard for these necessities that very little energy and
time and leisure will be left with you to strive for higher aims of
life."

99According
to this verse. it was Adam whom Satan primarily wanted to seduce and
not Eve. Though according to VII: 20, he tempted both of them and
both were seduced, but Satan's efforts were mainly directed to Adam.
On the contrary, according to the Bible, the serpent first tempted
the woman "to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree and then she
seduced her husband". (Genesis, 3).

100According
to this verse, Satan tempted Adam to eat the fruit of the tree so
that he might get eternal life and everlasting kingdom, and
according to V 11: 20, he put an additional temptation in their way,
saying that they would become angels and immortal.

101No
sooner did they disobey the "Command" than they were
deprived of all the facilities, but naturally the immediate effect
of this as felt by them was. that they were stripped of their
garments. Then gradually, as they felt thirsty, hungry etc., they
realized that they had been deprived of all the facilities that they
enjoyed in the Garden.

102It
is worth while to understand the nature of human weakness which
helped Satan to seduce Adam and Eve. They succumbed to seduction
because Satan tempted them in the garb of a true friend and
well-wisher even though they knew full well that he was their enemy.
For Adam had a direct knowledge of the envy and enmity of Satan, who
had challenged to seduce and ruin him in his very presence. Allah
had also warned them to guard against the envy of and the
temptations by Satan and had informed them of the consequences of
disobedience. Above all, Adam and Eve still believed in Allah and
never thought of intentional disobedience. But in spite of this,
when Satan tempted them in the garb of a friend, they disobeyed
their Lord: they forgot the "Command" for the time being
for lack of fineness of purpose. And since then this human weakness
has persisted in their descendants during all ages.

103".........His
Lord chose him" because he did not disobey Him intentionally
and did not persist in sin arrogantly. As soon as he realized his
error he felt ashamed of it and asked Allah's pardon: "O our
Lord, we have wronged ourselves gravely; if Thou dost not forgive us
and have mercy upon us, we shall be totally ruined".(VII: 23).
In contrast to Adam and Eve, Satan was cursed because he not only
disobeyed his Lord but also persisted in his sin, and boldly
challenged Him that it was He Who was responsible for his
disobedience, for He had preferred Adam whom He had created of clay
over him whom He had made of fire.

104That
is, "Allah not only pardoned him but also gave him Guidance and
taught him the way to follow it."

105"Wretched
life in this world" does not mean a life of poverty. It means
that such a one shall be deprived of the peace of mind, even though
he may be a millionaire or the ruler of a vast empire, for the one,
who will turn away from the "Admonition", will win all the
worldly successes by unlawful means and, therefore, will always be
suffering from pangs of a guilty conscience and deprived of the
peace of mind and real happiness.

106Here
the story of Prophet Adam ends. In the light of this part of the
story which has been related here and at other places in the Qur'an,
I have come to the conclusion (and correct knowledge is with Allah
alone) that the "vicegerency of the Earth" was the same as
was initially bestowed on Adam in the Garden, which might have been
created in the heavens or on this Earth. Anyhow the vicegerent of
Allah was supplied gratis with all the necessities of life and the
angels were placed under his command for service. This was to enable
him to discharge the high and noble obligations of vicegerency,
without any worry about the procurement of the necessities of life.
But in order to make hire permanent in this office, it was necessary
to put him to a test so that all his capabilities, excellences and
weaknesses might be known. Accordingly, he had to take his test in
which some of his weaknesses came to the surface: he was prone to be
seduced by greed and temptation: he did not remain firm in
obedience: he was capable of forgetfulness. That is why he was given
the "vicegerency" as a trial in the Earth for a fixed term
up to the Day of Judgment. During this period of trial, he had
himself to make arrangements for the necessities of life though he
was allowed to exploit all the resources of the Earth and to rule
over other creatures. The trial is this: does he or does he not obey
his Lord in spite of having the power to obey or not to obey? And if
he forgets or is seduced by greed, does he or does he not repent
through warning and admonition, when he realizes his error? At the
same time, his Lord has warned him that a full and perfect record of
all his deeds and misdeeds is being kept, and that he shall be
judged on the Day of Reckoning in accordance with it. Those who will
come out successful will be given permanent vicegerency and that
eternal life and everlasting kingdom by which Satan seduced . him.
The righteous servants will become the heirs to the Garden, if they
had obeyed their Lord or repented after "forgetfulness".
It should also be noted well that life in the Garden will not merely
be to "eat, drink and be merry", but there will be such
higher things to achieve as no human being can conceive in this
world. That is why only those blessings of the Garden have been
mentioned in the Qur'an which can be comprehended by human beings in
this world.

It will
be worth while to make a comparative study of the account of Adam
and Eve as given in the Qur'an with that given in the Bible.
According to Genesis:

"And
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And
the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the
man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to
grow every tree....the tree of life....and the tree of knowledge of
good and evil....And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat: But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die .... And the rib,
which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought
her unto the man.... And they were both naked, the man and his wife,
and were not ashamed." (2:725). "Now the serpent was more
subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And
he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?.... And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil....she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the
eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And
they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and wife hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God
called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I
heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was
naked; and I hid myself. And He said, who told thee that thou west
naked? Hast thou eaten, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest
not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gayest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat...........And the woman said,
the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto
the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all
cattle, and above every blast of the field; upon thy belly shalt
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, 1 will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shah bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam
he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree, of which 1 commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life:.... In the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread. Unto Adam also and to his wife did
the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God
said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:
and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of
life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him
forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was
taken." (3 :1-23).

It is
obvious that the Bible has not done justice to Adam and Eve, nay,
even to God Himself. On the other hand, the account given in the
Qur'an is itself a clear proof that the stories given in it have not
been copied from the Bible; for the Qur'an not only corroborates
those parts of the Bible which have remained untampered but also
corrects its wrong statements.

107The
Qur'an has described the different conditions and experiences
through which the criminals will pass from the Day of Resurrection
to the time of their entry into Hell: "You were neglectful of
this; now We have removed the curtain from before you and your sight
has become very sharp." (L: 22). "He is only deferring
them to the Day when all eyes shall stare with consternation. They
will be running in terror with heads uplifted and eyes fixed upwards
and hearts void". (XIV: 42-43). "We have fastened the
augury of every man to his own neck and on the Day of Resurrection
We will bring forth a writing which he will find like an open book.
(It will be said to him :) 'Here is your record: read it. Today you
can yourself reckon your account'". (XVII : 13-14). In the
light of the above and this verse (126), it appears that in the
Hereafter, the criminals shall be enabled to see the horrible sights
and to realize the consequences of their evil deeds, but in other
respects they will be like the blind man 'who cannot see his way and
is deprived of even a staff to feel his way, nor is there anyone to
guide him. So he stumbles and is knocked about and dces not know
where to go and how to satisfy his needs. This very state has been
expressed thus: "You forgot Our Revelations when they came to
you, so you are being forgotten today", as if, "you were
blind and had no one to look after you."

108This
refers to the "wretched life" which will be the lot of
those who turn away from the "Admonition" in this worldly
life.

110That
is, "In this lesson of History and in the observation of the
archaeological remains and in this experience of mankind".

111This
is to comfort and console the Holy Prophet, as if to say, "Allah
does not intend to destroy them yet, for He has appointed for them a
term of respite, so you should endure with patience whatever they do
against you and hear their harsh talk and go on performing the
obligations of your Mission. For this purpose you should offer Salat
in accordance with the prescribed times because it will create in
you necessary forbearance and fortitude".

Incidentally
in this verse (130) the times of Salat have been prescribed: (1)
Fajr Prayer before sunrise, (2) `Asr Prayer before sunset, (3) `Isha
and Tahajjud Prayers during the hours of night. Morning and
Afternoon (Dhuhr) and Evening (Maghrib) Prayers "at the
extremes of the day." (See also E.N.'s. 91 to 97 of Chapter
XV11.)

(1) "Rest
content with your present condition in which you have to hear many
unpleasant things for the sake of your Mission, and submit to this
decree that they are not being punished for the time being, for they
will continue to persecute you and at the same time lead prosperous
lives."

(2) "Go
on performing your Mission, for as a result of this, you will be
fully satisfied."

This
second meaning is supported by (a) XVII: 79: "That time is not
far, when your Lord may exalt you to a laudable position,"
which follows the commandment about Salat, (b) XCIII: 45: "Surely
the later period of life will be better for you than the former, and
in the near future your Lord will give you so much that you will be
fully satisfied."

113It
means: "It does not behoove you and your companions to be
envious of the riches of the wicked people who are amassing wealth
by unlawful means. The best thing for you is the lawful provision
which you earn by your hard labor, even though this may be meager in
quantity. That is better for the pious and righteous and is of
everlasting virtue."

114That
is, "Teach your children also that lawful provision is much
better than the unlawful riches of the wicked people. For this
purpose, enjoin them to say their prescribed Prayers, for this will
change their attitude, their standard of values, and make them
contented with pure provisions and virtuous life in preference to
the life of sin and luxury."

115It
implies this: "We do not ask you to offer your Prayers for any
benefit of Our own. We ask you to do that for your own good, because
this will create piety in you which will bring about true success
for you in this world and in the Hereafter."

116This
means that the Qur'an itself is a great miracle, for though it is
being presented by an unlettered person from among them, it contains
the essence of the teachings and guidance of all tire previous
Divine Books. Not only this: it makes those teachings and guidance
so plain and clear that even a simple man of the desert can benefit
from them.

117That
is, "Ever since the Message of Islam is being presented in your
city (Makkah), it is not only every person of this city who is
waiting for its ultimate result but also every one outside it, who
has heard of it."